Isles are 15-25-8 since December 1st and fall two games below NHL-.500 (30-32-10) for the first time since December 20, 2016 (12-14-6); it's the first time since they ended the 2013-14 season with 79 points that the Isles have been below .500 this late in the season … The Isles have scored three goals or fewer in 15 of the last 16 games... Ryan Pulock's 26 points rank second among Islander defensemen, behind Nick Leddy's 40; Pulock is now 4th in the NHL in scoring among rookie defensemen …Jaroslav Halak is 0-6-2 in his last eight decisions… The Isles scored twice on the power play, giving them five power play goals in the last two games. The power play is now operating at 21.8%; the Isles haven't converted 20% of their power plays since the 1993-94 season (20.1%)… Lee's 2nd goal was his 200th NHL point…Lee Stempniak scored a goal in his 900th NHL game; Teuvo Teravainen recorded his 100th point as a Hurricane…

Fist-bumping Ahead of Parrish

Anders Lee scored twice to move from 26th place to a tie for 21st place on the all-time Isles goal scoring list. Along the way he passed Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas, all of whom had 118 goals as an Islander. Lee fist-bumped Parrish, who was working for MSG Network "Between the Benches" after passing him.

Isles Goal List:

20. Diane Sutter 120

21 Anders Lee, Frans Nielsen and Alexei Yashin 119

24. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118

Other Milestone Men

John Tavares' three assists give him 610 points, tying him with Brent Sutter for 5th place on the all-time Isles list.

Josh Bailey recorded his 249th assist, tying Tomas Jonsson for 15th place on that Isles list.

Barzal Is Highest Scoring Isles Rookie in 40 Years

Mathew Barzal is the third highest-scoring rookie in Islander history; with a team-leading 54 assists and a co-team-leading 73 points in 72 games, he is on pace for 62 assists and 83 points:

Most Assists by an Islander Rookie

1.Bryan Trottier 631975-76

2.MATHEW BARZAL542017-18

Most Points by an Islander Rookie

1.Bryan Trottier 951975-76

2.Mike Bossy911977-78

3. MATHEW BARZAL732017-18

Denis Potvin is the only rookie to ever lead the Isles in assists; Billy Harris, Potvin, Trent Hunter (tied) and John Tavares are the only rookies to ever lead the Isles in points.

Nice Company

Mathew Barzal is one of only four rookies since 1995 with at least 54 assists in a season.

1.Sidney CrosbyPIT 2005-0663

2.Nicklas BackstromWSH 2007-0855

3.Alex OvechkinWSH 2005-0654

MATHEW BARZALNYI 2017-1854

He is also one of only six rookies since 2000-01 with at least 73 points.

More points by a rookie: last 18 seasons

1Alex OvechkinWSH2005-06 106

2Sidney CrosbyPIT2005-06 102

3Evgeni MalkinPIT2006-07 85

4Paul StastnyCOL2006-07 78

5Artemi PanarinCHI2015-16 77

6MATHEW BARZALNYI2017-18 73

32 Goal Club

Anders Lee has 35 goals and John Tavares has 32. They are the first Islander teammates with at least 32 goals since Pierre Turgeon, Steve Thomas and Benoit Hogue all did so in 1993-94.

35 Goal Club

Anders Lee is only the 6th Islander in the last 20 years to score 35 goals in a season:

1.Jason Blake 40 2006-07

2.John Tavares 38 2014-15

3.Matt Moulson 36 2011-12

4.ANDERS LEE 35 2017-18

Mariusz Czerkawski 35 1999-2000

Miroslav Satan 35 2005-06

Lee is also the first Islander with multiple 34-goal seasons since Ziggy Palffy (1995-76 to 1997-78).

54 Helpers

Mathew Barzal has 54 assists and Josh Bailey has 49. Barzal is the first Islander with over 50 assists since Pierre Turgeon had 56 assists in 1993-94.

When Bailey reaches 50, the Isles will have teammates with 50 assists for the first time since Mike Bossy (62) and Bryan Trottier (59) did so in 1985-86.

Three's Company

Mathew Barzal has eight games of at least three points this season (five games with three points and three games with five points). Since 1993-94, only Sidney Crosby (11 times), Artemi Panarin (10 times) and Alex Ovechkin (8 times) have done so as often in their rookie seasons.

Five's Alive

The Isles have scored at least five goals ten times at home (9-1-0) and eighteen times overall (17-1-0). The Isles have also scored two shootout winners for a fifth goal of the game (not included above). The Isles scored five goals (including shootout winners) in only 10 games all last season.

Five's Trouble

The Isles have allowed at least five goals eleven times at home (1-8-2) and 20 times overall (1-17-2).

First Things First

The Isles have scored first 33 times this season (20-8-5). The Isles won the first eleven times they scored first this season but are only 9-8-5 in the last 22 games that they scored first.

First Goal

The Isles are 20-8-5 when they score first and are 10-24-5 when they allow the opening goal.

The Shots

Isles 6-11-12=29

Carolina 13-17-9=39

The Isles are 7-12-5 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 23-19-5 when they are outshot. (The club record for wins while being outshot in one season is 25, set by the 1983-84 team)

Home and Road

The Islanders are 30-32-10 overall; 16-14-4 at home and 14-18-6 on the road.

Carolina is 31-30-11 overall; 16-14-6 at home and 15-16-5 on the road.

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 10-12-2 in Division games and 20-20-8 in games versus other divisions. The Isles are 17-23-3 against the East and 13-9-7 against the West.

Our House

The Isles are 16-14-4 at home; they are 9-11-0 against the East and 7-3-4 against the West. All-time the Isles are 28-7-7 all-time at Barclays against the West. However, after opening the season 9-0-2 on home ice, the Isles are 7-14-2 in their last 23 games in Brooklyn.

In the Nets

Jaroslav Halak made 35 saves but falls to 18-24-6 on the season and 3-6-1 in his career against Carolina.

Scott Darling made 26 saves to improve to 12-17-7 on the season and 3-2-0 in his career against the Isles.

Power Plays

The Isles were 2-3 on the power play in 3:51 of PP time; Carolina was 0-3 on the power play in 6:00 of PP time.

The Isles are 17-13-3 when they score at least one power play goal and 13-19-7 when they do not. The Isles are 16-21-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 14-11-7 when they do not.

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 28-12-5 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-20-5 when they do not.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 12-8-10 in games decided by a single goal including 3-8 in regulation. They are 6-7 in games decided in overtime and are 3-3 in shootouts. The Isles are 4-3 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 6-8-0 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 5-8-1 on the back-end. The next back-to-back set will be on March 26th vs. Florida and March 27th in Ottawa.

Tired vs. Rested

•The Isles are 2-4-0 when both teams played the night before.

•The Isles are 6-2-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not.

•The Isles are 3-4-1 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

•The Isles are 18-22-9 when both teams are rested.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (22:59); Carolina: Justin Faulk (22:10)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 21:52 of ice-time.

Face-offs

Isles 28, Carolina 32 (47%).

Casey Cizikas won 7 of 11 for the Isles; Elias Lindhom won 9 of 14 for Carolina.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 5/14; 2nd period 12/23; 3rd period 11/23.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 23/52, Power play 2/3, Penalty kill 3/5.

The Isles have challenged four times and been successful three times. The Isles are 2-1-0 in games they win the challenge and are 0-0-1 in games they lose the challenge.

•10/10 vs STL Blues – unsuccessful; Isles killed ensuing power play.

•10/12 @ Ana Ducks – successful

•1/15 @ Mtl Canadiens – successful

•2/16 @ Car Hurricanes - successful

The opponents have not yet challenged an Islander goal due to an offside this season.

7-11

The Isles have used 7 defensemen four times this season (10/19 @NYR, 10/21 vs SJ, 1/16 vs. NJ, 3/2 vs. MTL) and are 2-2-0 in those games. Under Doug Weight, the Isles are 6-2-0 when they dress seven natural defensemen.

The teams split the season series two games to two (and four points to four).

The Isles are 6-4-1 in their last 11 games vs. Carolina.

On the Farm

Bridgeport fell to 31-25-5-3 with a 4-1 defeat in Providence on Sunday. John Stevens scored the only goal for the Sound Tigers.

Tanner Fritz (on recall to the Isles) leads Bridgeport with 37 points (10-27-37); Travis St. Denis lead the team in goals (20) and is now tied with Fritz for the club point lead. Christopher Gibson (also on recall to the Isles) is 18-11-3 in the nets with 4 shutouts.

The Sound Tigers are seven points behind Charlotte for the final playoff spot, although Bridgeport does hold two games-in-hand. Bridgeport visits Syracuse on Friday and Wilkes Barre-Scranton on Sunday afternoon.

The Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking to sweep the season series as they visit the Isles on Tuesday.

The Penguins have won the first three meetings, needing overtime goals from Matt Hunwick and Sidney Crosby to record two of the victories.

Christopher Gibson stopped 47 of 50 Penguin shots in the most recent meeting, on March 3rd in the Steel City. Tristan Jarry has earned the victory in all three meetings this season.

Overall, the Isles are 7-4-4 in their last 15 games against the Penguins.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources. Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Isles are 15-24-8 since December 1st and fall below NHL-.500 (30-31-10); it's the first time since they ended the 2013-14 season with 79 points that the Isles have been below .500 this late in the season …The Isles allowed the opening goal for the first time in six games … The Isles have scored three goals or fewer in 14 of the last 15 games... Ryan Pulock's 25 points rank second among Islander defensemen, behind Nick Leddy's 40; he is the 11th rookie defenseman in Islander history with at least 25 points… The Caps improve to 24-0-1 when leading after one period…The Isles have been outscored 92-72 in the second period… Brock Nelson scored his 97th career goal; it's the first time since October that he has scored in consecutive games…The Isles allowed 13 goals in the back-to-back; it's the first time that they have allowed at least six goals in consecutive games since October 30-November 3, 2010 and the first time it's happened in a home-and-home since October 15-17, 1991 (vs. Pittsburgh)…Each team scored three power play goals in an Islander game for the first time since March 30, 2007 in Buffalo…Jaroslav Halak is 0-5-2 in his last seven decisions…Ross Johnston's 27 penalty minutes were the most by an Islander since Travis Hamonic had 32 on March 1, 2014 vs. New Jersey; tonight was the first game since that day that the Islanders allowed eight opponent power plays…The Isles' road power play improved from 16.5% to 18.5% with the three power play goals. Their overall power play improved to 21.5%; the Isles haven't converted 20% of their power plays...Evgeny Kuznetsov reached 50 assists for the 2nd time in his career; he had five assists in the home-and-home… None of the 13 Caps goals in the two games were scored by Alex Ovechkin; Ovechkin did not have a goal in the season series against the Isles. It's the first time that the Isles have held Ovechkin without a goal in four consecutive games.

The Injury

Cal Clutterbuck left the game with an injury and did not play in the third period.

Barzal Is Highest Scoring Isles Rookie in 40 Years

Mathew Barzal is the third highest-scoring rookie in Islander history; with a team-leading 53 assists and a team-leading 72 points in 71 games, he is on pace for 61 assists and 83 points:

Most Assists by an Islander Rookie

1.Bryan Trottier 631975-76

2.MATHEW BARZAL532017-18

Most Points by an Islander Rookie

1.Bryan Trottier 951975-76

2.Mike Bossy911977-78

3. MATHEW BARZAL722017-18

Denis Potvin is the only rookie to ever lead the Isles in assists; Billy Harris, Potvin, Trent Hunter (tied) and John Tavares are the only rookies to ever lead the Isles in points.

Nice Company

Mathew Barzal is one of only five rookies since 1995 with at least 53 assists in a season. You'll recognize the names!

1.Sidney CrosbyPIT 2005-0663

2.Nicklas BackstromWSH 2007-0855

3.Alex OvechkinWSH 2005-0654

4.MATHEW BARZALNYI 2017-1853

He is also one of only seven rookies since 2000-01 with at least 72 points.

Most points by a rookie: last 18 seasons

1Alex OvechkinWSH2005-06 106

2Sidney CrosbyPIT2005-06 102

3Evgeni MalkinPIT2006-07 85

4Paul StastnyCOL2006-07 78

5Artemi PanarinCHI2015-16 77

6Patrick KaneCHI2007-08 72

MATHEW BARZALNYI2017-18 72

32 Goal Club

Anders Lee has 33 goals and John Tavares has 32. They are the first Islander teammates with at least 32 goals since Pierre Turgeon, Steve Thomas and Benoit Hogue all did so in 1993-94.

53 Helpers

Mathew Barzal has 53 assists and Josh Bailey has 48. Barzal is the first Islander with over 50 assists since Pierre Turgeon had 56 assists in 1993-94.

When Bailey reaches 50, the Isles will have teammates with 50 assists for the first time since Mike Bossy (62) and Bryan Trottier (59) did so in 1985-86.

Three's Company

Mathew Barzal has eight games of at least three points this season (five games with three points and three games with five points). Since 1993-94, only Sidney Crosby (11 times), Artemi Panarin (10 times) and Alex Ovechkin (8 times) have done so as often in their rookie seasons.

One and Done

The Isles are 16-2-4 this season when leading after one period.

Five's Alive

The Isles have scored at least five goals ten times at home (9-1-0) and eighteen times overall (17-1-0). The Isles have also scored two shootout winners for a fifth goal of the game (not included above). The Isles scored five goals (including shootout winners) in only 10 games all last season.

Five's Trouble

The Isles have allowed at least five goals eleven times at home (1-8-2) and 20 times overall (1-17-2).

First Things First

The Isles have scored first 33 times this season (20-8-5). The Isles won the first eleven times they scored first this season but are only 9-8-5 in the last 22 games that they scored first.

First Goal

The Isles are 20-8-5 when they score first and are 10-23-5 when they allow the opening goal.

The Shots

Isles 4-9-12=25

Washington 10-10-11=31

The Isles are 7-12-5 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 23-18-5 when they are outshot. (The club record for wins while being outshot in one season is 25, set by the 1983-84 team)

Home and Road

The Islanders are 30-31-10 overall; 16-13-4 at home and 14-18-6 on the road.

Washington is 41-23-7 overall; 25-9-2 at home and 16-14-5 on the road.

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 10-11-2 in Division games and 20-20-8 in games versus other divisions. The Isles are 17-22-3 against the East and 13-9-7 against the West.

Our House

The Isles are 16-13-4 at home; they are 9-9-0 against the East and 7-3-4 against the West. All-time the Isles are 28-7-7 all-time at Barclays against the West. However, after opening the season 9-0-2 on home ice, the Isles are 7-13-2 in their last 22 games in Brooklyn.

In the Nets

Jaroslav Halak made 25 saves but falls to 18-23-6 on the season and 9-9-0 in his career against Washington.

Braden Holtby made 22 saves to improve to 30-15-4 on the season and 14-4-3 in his career against the Isles.

Power Plays

The Isles were 3-5 on the power play in 7:44 of PP time; Washington was 3-8 on the power play in 11:46 time.

The Isles are 17-12-3 when they score at least one power play goal and 13-19-7 when they do not. The Isles are 16-21-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 14-10-7 when they do not.

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 28-11-5 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-20-5 when they do not.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 12-7-10 in games decided by a single goal including 3-7 in regulation. They are 6-7 in games decided in overtime and are 3-3 in shootouts. The Isles are 4-3 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs

Including tonight, the Isles are 6-8-0 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 5-8-1 on the back-end. The next back-to-back set will be on March 26th vs. Florida and March 27th in Ottawa.

Tired vs. Rested

•The Isles are 2-4-0 when both teams played the night before.

•The Isles are 6-1-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not.

•The Isles are 3-4-1 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

•The Isles are 18-22-9 when both teams are rested.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Adam Pelech (21:41); Washington: Matt Niskanen (22:19)

John Tavares led Isles forwards with 19:43 of ice-time.

Face-offs

Isles 30, Washington 36 (45%).

John Tavares won 14 of 24 for the Isles; Lars Eller won 9 of 13 for Washington.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 9/19; 2nd period 13/24; 3rd period 8/23.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 19/39, Power play 5/12, Penalty kill 6/15.

The Isles have challenged four times and been successful three times. The Isles are 2-1-0 in games they win the challenge and are 0-0-1 in games they lose the challenge.

•10/10 vs STL Blues – unsuccessful; Isles killed ensuing power play.

•10/12 @ Ana Ducks – successful

•1/15 @ Mtl Canadiens – successful

•2/16 @ Car Hurricanes - successful

The opponents have not yet challenged an Islander goal due to an offside this season.

7-11

The Isles have used 7 defensemen four times this season (10/19 @NYR, 10/21 vs SJ, 1/16 vs. NJ, 3/2 vs. MTL) and are 2-2-0 in those games. Under Doug Weight, the Isles are 6-2-0 when they dress seven natural defensemen.

Washington wins the season series three games to one (and six points to two).

The Isles are 3-5-1 in their last nine games in DC.

On the Farm

Joshua Ho-Sang scored a goal and added an assist but the Sound Tigers allowed two third period goals in a 3-2 loss in Hershey.

Tanner Fritz (on recall to the Isles) leads Bridgeport with 37 points (10-27-37); Travis St. Denis lead the team in goals (20) and is now tied with Fritz for the club point lead. Christopher Gibson (also on recall to the Isles) is 18-11-3 in the nets with 4 shutouts.

The Sound Tigers (31-24-5-3) are five points behind Charlotte for the final playoff spot. Bridgeport hosts Providence on Sunday afternoon.

The Isles begin a 5-game homestand as they entertain Carolina. The last time the Isles saw Carolina was on February 16th; Thomas Greiss made 45 saves in a 3-0 shutout win. Greiss was injured late in that game and has not played since.

The Isles are 2-1-0 against Carolina this season and have won four of the last five meetings between the teams. The Isles are 6-3-1 in the last 10 games against the Canes.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources. Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Isles are 15-23-8 since December 1st and fall back to NHL-.500 (30-30-10) …The Isles scored first for the fifth straight game and for the eighth time in the last nine games… The Isles have scored three goals or fewer in 13 of the last 14 games. The Isles allowed only 22 shots on goal; the team is 1-6-2 this season when they allow 26 shots or fewer…Ryan Putlock's 23 points rank second among Islander defensemen, behind Nick Leddy's 40; he is the 13th rookie defenseman in Islander history with at least 23 points…Three Capitals each had three points: Nicklas Backstrom, Dmitry Orlov, and Evgeny Kuznetsov…The Caps improve to 23-0-1 when leading after one period…The Isles have been outscored 90-71 in the second period…The Caps scored seven goals for the first time this season, and for the first time against the Isles since 2010…Brock Nelson scored his 96th career goal.

Barzal Is Highest Scoring Isles Rookie in 40 Years

Mathew Barzal is the third highest-scoring rookie in Islander history; with a team-leading 52 assists in 70 games, he is on pace for 61 assists:

Most Assists by an Islander Rookie

1.Bryan Trottier 631975-76

2.MATHEW BARZAL522017-18

Most Points by an Islander Rookie

1.Bryan Trottier 951975-76

2.Mike Bossy911977-78

3. MATHEW BARZAL702017-18

Denis Potvin is the only rookie to ever lead the Isles in assists; Billy Harris, Potvin, Trent Hunter (tied) and John Tavares are the only rookies to ever lead the Isles in points.

Nice Company

Mathew Barzal is one of only five rookies since 1995 with at least 52 assists in a season. You'll recognize the names!

1.Sidney CrosbyPIT 2005-0663

2.Nicklas BackstromWSH 2007-0855

3.Alex OvechkinWSH 2005-0654

4.Evgeni MalkinPIT 2006-0752

MATHEW BARZALNYI 2017-1852

32 (and 33) Goals

Anders Lee has 33 goals and John Tavares has 31. With Tavares' next goal, they will be the first Islander teammates with at least 32 goals since Pierre Turgeon, Steve Thomas and Benoit Hogue all did so in 1993-94.

52 Helpers

Mathew Barzal has 52 assists and Josh Bailey has 48. Barzal is the first Islander with over 50 assists since Pierre Turgeon had 56 assists in 1993-94.

When Bailey reaches 50, the Isles will have teammates with 50 assists for the first time since Mike Bossy (62) and Bryan Trottier (59) did so in 1985-86.

Three's Company

Mathew Barzal has eight games of at least three points this season (five games with three points and three games with five points). Since 1993-94, only Sidney Crosby (11 times), Artemi Panarin (10 times) and Alex Ovechkin (8 times) have done so as often in their rookie seasons.

One and Done

The Isles are 16-2-4 this season when leading after one period.

Five's Alive

The Isles have scored at least five goals ten times at home (9-1-0) and eighteen times overall (17-1-0). The Isles have also scored two shootout winners for a fifth goal of the game (not included above). The Isles scored five goals (including shootout winners) in only 10 games all last season.

Five's Trouble

The Isles have allowed at least five goals eleven times at home (1-8-2) and nineteen times overall (1-16-2).

First Things First

The Isles have scored first 33 times this season (20-8-5). The Isles won the first eleven times they scored first this season but are only 9-8-5 in the last 22 games that they scored first.

First Goal

The Isles are 20-8-5 when they score first and are 10-22-5 when they allow the opening goal.

The Shots

Isles 12-14-12=38

Washington 9- 8- 5=22

The Isles are 7-12-5 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 23-17-5 when they are outshot. (The club record for wins while being outshot in one season is 25, set by the 1983-84 team)

The Islanders are 30-30-10 overall; 16-13-4 at home and 14-17-6 on the road.

Washington is 40-23-7 overall; 24-9-2 at home and 16-14-5 on the road.

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 10-10-2 in Division games and 20-20-8 in games versus other divisions. The Isles are 17-21-3 against the East and 13-9-7 against the West.

Our House

The Isles are 16-13-4 at home; they are 9-9-0 against the East and 7-3-4 against the West. All-time the Isles are 28-7-7 all-time at Barclays against the West. However, after opening the season 9-0-2 on home ice, the Isles are 7-13-2 in their last 22 games in Brooklyn.

In the Nets

Christopher Gibson made 7 saves before being replaced by Jaroslav Halak. Gilbson is 1-1-2 on the season. Halak made 8 saves in relief.

Philippe Gruabauer made 35 saves to improve to 11-8-3 on the season and 1-2-0 in his career against the Isles.

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-3 on the power play in 6:00 of PP time; Washington was 1-1 on the power play in 1:47 time.

The Isles are 17-11-3 when they score at least one power play goal and 13-19-7 when they do not. The Isles are 16-20-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 14-10-7 when they do not.

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 28-10-5 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-20-5 when they do not.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 12-7-10 in games decided by a single goal including 3-7 in regulation. They are 6-7 in games decided in overtime and are 3-3 in shootouts. The Isles are 4-3 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs

Including tonight, the Isles are 6-8-0 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 5-7-1 on the back-end. This back-to-back set will conclude in DC on Friday.

Tired vs. Rested

•The Isles are 2-3-0 when both teams played the night before.

•The Isles are 6-1-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not.

•The Isles are 3-4-1 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

•The Isles are 18-22-9 when both teams are rested.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (21:52); Washington: Matt Niskanen (22:28)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 18:37 of ice-time.

Face-offs

Isles 32, Washington 30(52%).

Brock Nelson won 8 of 11 for the Isles; Nicklas Backstrom won 8 of 13 for Washington.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 11/21; 2nd period 10/20; 3rd period 11/21.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 28/52, Power play 4/8, Penalty kill 0/2.

The Isles have challenged four times and been successful three times. The Isles are 2-1-0 in games they win the challenge and are 0-0-1 in games they lose the challenge.

•10/10 vs STL Blues – unsuccessful; Isles killed ensuing power play.

•10/12 @ Ana Ducks – successful

•1/15 @ Mtl Canadiens – successful

•2/16 @ Car Hurricanes - successful

The opponents have not yet challenged an Islander goal due to an offside this season.

7-11

The Isles have used 7 defensemen four times this season (10/19 @NYR, 10/21 vs SJ, 1/16 vs. NJ, 3/2 vs. MTL) and are 2-2-0 in those games. Under Doug Weight, the Isles are 6-2-0 when they dress seven natural defensemen.

Washington leads the season series two games to one (and four points to two).

The loss ends a 3-game Islander win streak against the Caps at home.

On the Farm

Bridgeport rallied from a 4-0 deficit for the second straight game to improve to 31-23-6-3 on the season as they pursue the final playoff spot in their division. The Sound Tigers scored the game's final six goals for a 6-4 win over Rochester.

Tanner Fritz (on recall to the Isles) leads Bridgeport with 37 points (10-27-37); Travis St. Denis had a natural hat trick and then added two assists as he holds the team lead in goals (20) and is now tied with Fritz for the club point lead. Christopher Gibson (also on recall to the Isles) is 18-11-3 in the nets with 4 shutouts.

The Sound Tigers are three points behind Charlotte. Bridgeport hosts Rochester on Thursday before visiting Hershey on Friday and Providence on Sunday afternoon.

The Isles are 3-4-1 in their last eight games in the Nation's Capital.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources. Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 70

Washington 7, Isles 3

TJ Oshie scored twice and thirteen Capitals earned at least a point as Washington beat the Isles 7-3 before a crowd of 10,740 at Barclays Center.

Brock Nelson, Andrew Ladd and Ryan Pulock scored for the Isles. Tanner Fritz earned his first two NHL assists.

The Isles fall to 1-5-4 in their last 10 games and 1-5-0 in their last six games at home.

Isles are 15-23-8 since December 1st and fall back to NHL-.500 (30-30-10) …The Isles scored first for the fifth straight game and for the eighth time in the last nine games… The Isles have scored three goals or fewer in 13 of the last 14 games. The Isles allowed only 22 shots on goal; the team is 1-6-2 this season when they allow 26 shots or fewer…Ryan Putlock's 23 points rank second among Islander defensemen, behind Nick Leddy's 40; he is the 13th rookie defenseman in Islander history with at least 23 points…Three Capitals each had three points: Nicklas Backstrom, Dmitry Orlov, and Evgeny Kuznetsov…The Caps improve to 23-0-1 when leading after one period…The Isles have been outscored 90-71 in the second period…The Caps scored seven goals for the first time this season, and for the first time against the Isles since 2010…Brock Nelson scored his 96th career goal.

Barzal Is Highest Scoring Isles Rookie in 40 Years

Mathew Barzal is the third highest-scoring rookie in Islander history; with a team-leading 52 assists in 70 games, he is on pace for 61 assists:

Most Assists by an Islander Rookie

1. Bryan Trottier 63 1975-76

2. MATHEW BARZAL 52 2017-18

Most Points by an Islander Rookie

1. Bryan Trottier 95 1975-76

2. Mike Bossy 91 1977-78

3. MATHEW BARZAL 70 2017-18

Denis Potvin is the only rookie to ever lead the Isles in assists; Billy Harris, Potvin, Trent Hunter (tied) and John Tavares are the only rookies to ever lead the Isles in points.

Nice Company

Mathew Barzal is one of only five rookies since 1995 with at least 52 assists in a season. You'll recognize the names!

1. Sidney Crosby PIT 2005-06 63

2. Nicklas Backstrom WSH 2007-08 55

3. Alex Ovechkin WSH 2005-06 54

4. Evgeni Malkin PIT 2006-07 52

MATHEW BARZAL NYI 2017-18 52

32 (and 33) Goals

Anders Lee has 33 goals and John Tavares has 31. With Tavares' next goal, they will be the first Islander teammates with at least 32 goals since Pierre Turgeon, Steve Thomas and Benoit Hogue all did so in 1993-94.

52 Helpers

Mathew Barzal has 52 assists and Josh Bailey has 48. Barzal is the first Islander with over 50 assists since Pierre Turgeon had 56 assists in 1993-94.

When Bailey reaches 50, the Isles will have teammates with 50 assists for the first time since Mike Bossy (62) and Bryan Trottier (59) did so in 1985-86.

Three's Company

Mathew Barzal has eight games of at least three points this season (five games with three points and three games with five points). Since 1993-94, only Sidney Crosby (11 times), Artemi Panarin (10 times) and Alex Ovechkin (8 times) have done so as often in their rookie seasons.

One and Done

The Isles are 16-2-4 this season when leading after one period.

Five's Alive

The Isles have scored at least five goals ten times at home (9-1-0) and eighteen times overall (17-1-0). The Isles have also scored two shootout winners for a fifth goal of the game (not included above). The Isles scored five goals (including shootout winners) in only 10 games all last season.

Five's Trouble

The Isles have allowed at least five goals eleven times at home (1-8-2) and nineteen times overall (1-16-2).

First Things First

The Isles have scored first 33 times this season (20-8-5). The Isles won the first eleven times they scored first this season but are only 9-8-5 in the last 22 games that they scored first.

First Goal

The Isles are 20-8-5 when they score first and are 10-22-5 when they allow the opening goal.

The Shots

Isles 12-14-12=38

Washington 9- 8- 5=22

The Isles are 7-12-5 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 23-17-5 when they are outshot. (The club record for wins while being outshot in one season is 25, set by the 1983-84 team)

Home and Road

The Islanders are 30-30-10 overall; 16-13-4 at home and 14-17-6 on the road.

Washington is 40-23-7 overall; 24-9-2 at home and 16-14-5 on the road.

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 10-10-2 in Division games and 20-20-8 in games versus other divisions. The Isles are 17-21-3 against the East and 13-9-7 against the West.

Our House

The Isles are 16-13-4 at home; they are 9-9-0 against the East and 7-3-4 against the West. All-time the Isles are 28-7-7 all-time at Barclays against the West. However, after opening the season 9-0-2 on home ice, the Isles are 7-13-2 in their last 22 games in Brooklyn.

In the Nets

Christopher Gibson made 7 saves before being replaced by Jaroslav Halak. Gilbson is 1-1-2 on the season. Halak made 8 saves in relief.

Philippe Gruabauer made 35 saves to improve to 11-8-3 on the season and 1-2-0 in his career against the Isles.

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-3 on the power play in 6:00 of PP time; Washington was 1-1 on the power play in 1:47 time.

The Isles are 17-11-3 when they score at least one power play goal and 13-19-7 when they do not. The Isles are 16-20-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 14-10-7 when they do not.

Three is (Usually a Magic Number

The Isles are 28-10-5 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-20-5 when they do not.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 12-7-10 in games decided by a single goal including 3-7 in regulation. They are 6-7 in games decided in overtime and are 3-3 in shootouts. The Isles are 4-3 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs

Including tonight, the Isles are 6-8-0 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 5-7-1 on the back-end. This back-to-back set will conclude in DC on Friday.

Tired vs. Rested

·The Isles are 2-3-0 when both teams played the night before.

·The Isles are 6-1-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not.

·The Isles are 3-4-1 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

·The Isles are 18-22-9 when both teams are rested.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (21:52); Washington: Matt Niskanen (22:28)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 18:37 of ice-time.

Face-offs

Isles 32, Washington 30(52%).

Brock Nelson won 8 of 11 for the Isles; Nicklas Backstrom won 8 of 13 for Washington.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 11/21; 2nd period 10/20; 3rd period 11/21.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 28/52, Power play 4/8, Penalty kill 0/2.

The Isles have challenged four times and been successful three times. The Isles are 2-1-0 in games they win the challenge and are 0-0-1 in games they lose the challenge.

·10/10 vs STL Blues – unsuccessful; Isles killed ensuing power play.

·10/12 @ Ana Ducks – successful

·1/15 @ Mtl Canadiens – successful

·2/16 @ Car Hurricanes - successful

The opponents have not yet challenged an Islander goal due to an offside this season.

7-11

The Isles have used 7 defensemen four times this season (10/19 @NYR, 10/21 vs SJ, 1/16 vs. NJ, 3/2 vs. MTL) and are 2-2-0 in those games. Under Doug Weight, the Isles are 6-2-0 when they dress seven natural defensemen.

Washington leads the season series two games to one (and four points to two).

The loss ends a 3-game Islander win streak against the Caps at home.

On the Farm

Bridgeport rallied from a 4-0 deficit for the second straight game to improve to 31-23-6-3 on the season as they pursue the final playoff spot in their division. The Sound Tigers scored the game's final six goals for a 6-4 win over Rochester.

Tanner Fritz (on recall to the Isles) leads Bridgeport with 37 points (10-27-37); Travis St. Denis had a natural hat trick and then added two assists as he holds the team lead in goals (20) and is now tied with Fritz for the club point lead. Christopher Gibson (also on recall to the Isles) is 18-11-3 in the nets with 4 shutouts.

The Sound Tigers are three points behind Charlotte. Bridgeport hosts Rochester on Thursday before visiting Hershey on Friday and Providence on Sunday afternoon.

The Isles are 3-4-1 in their last eight games in the Nation's Capital.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources. Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.